heater questions

This is a discussion on heater questions within the Beginner Freshwater Aquarium forums, part of the Freshwater Fish and Aquariums category; -->
I have a submersible heater for my tank right now I have is strait up and down on my tank, I see in a ...

I have a submersible heater for my tank right now I have is strait up and down on my tank, I see in a lot of the pics that people have there's on a diagonal. does it matter? do I have mine setup wrong?

It doesn't matter as long as it's under water up to the designated point for thermostatic control. It's also best that it is centrally located or where water circulation will ensure a consistent temperature throughout the tank.

Also, it can be handy to have it low enough so it's below the water line of your weekly water change. Mine are high, but I turn them off before doing changes - always a good idea...but if you forget, having them lower better ensures they survive.

(I'm old school and in the olden days there was no such thing as submersible heaters. The whole idea of putting an electrical device under water still gives me willies!)

I too still hang mine vertically. The idea behind horizontal is spreading the heating effect; warm water like warm air rises straight up, so a horizontal placement means you have warm water rising from the full length of the heater. This will create more convection currents too. This would certainly benefit in a tank with no filter/water movement. But placing the heater close to the filter outflow so the water entering the tank from the filter is forced past the heater will dissipate the heated water.